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* The Glass factory. *
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....»=*$¤@ Several Centuries After It Had Last @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family $*=»......
.......»=* Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times *=».......
........»= Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then =»........
.........» Stood Abandoned For A Long While. ».........
........»= Finally, The Natural End Station For =»........
.......»=* The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, *=».......
......»=*$ And A Gift Shop. $*=»......
.....»=*$¤ ¤$*=».....
....»=*$¤@ There'S A Long Time Since My Family @¤$*=»....
...»=*$¤@# Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be #@¤$*=»...
..»=*$¤@## Considered Poor. ##@¤$*=»..
...»=*$¤@# #@¤$*=»...
....»=*$¤@ There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, $*=»......
.......»=* Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. *=».......
........»= Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And =»........
.........» LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be ».........
........»= Practical. On The Eastern Building, =»........
.......»=* Some Are Shattered. *=».......
......»=*$ $*=»......
.....»=*$¤ The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S ¤$*=».....
....»=*$¤@ A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great @¤$*=»....
...»=*$¤@# Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. #@¤$*=»...
..»=*$¤@## Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On ##@¤$*=»..
...»=*$¤@# Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of #@¤$*=»...
....»=*$¤@ Glass Of Varying Thickness. @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ ** $*=»......
.......»=* ** ** *=».......
........»= »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» =»........
.........» ** ** ».........
........»= ** =»........
.......»=* *=».......
......»=*$ I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The $*=»......
.....»=*$¤ Other Building. The Contrast Is ¤$*=».....
....»=*$¤@ Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood @¤$*=»....
...»=*$¤@# Derelict For A Long Time, Windows #@¤$*=»...
..»=*$¤@## Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of ##@¤$*=»..
...»=*$¤@# Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No #@¤$*=»...
....»=*$¤@ Electric Lights, But I Can See By The @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ Windows Are Missing A Pane. $*=»......
.......»=* *=».......
........»= However, The Greatest Difference Is The =»........
.........» Higher Floors: This Building Has None. ».........
........»= It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away =»........
.......»=* Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There *=».......
......»=*$ Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From $*=»......
.....»=*$¤ Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts ¤$*=».....
....»=*$¤@ Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. @¤$*=»....
...»=*$¤@# #@¤$*=»...
..»=*$¤@## There Is, In The Middle Of The Great ##@¤$*=»..
...»=*$¤@# Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That #@¤$*=»...
....»=*$¤@ Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ A Revolution, I Notice That For Each $*=»......
.......»=* Step The Building Starts To Glow, The *=».......
........»= Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then =»........
.........» Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ».........
........»= Lit From Behind. =»........
.......»=* *=».......
......»=*$ I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But $*=»......
.....»=*$¤ There'S Someone Else On The Staircase ¤$*=».....
....»=*$¤@ With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S @¤$*=»....
...»=*$¤@# Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin #@¤$*=»...
..»=*$¤@## Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, ##@¤$*=»..
...»=*$¤@# And More Disturbingly, Completely Made #@¤$*=»...
....»=*$¤@ Of Dark Liquid glass. @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ ** $*=»......
.......»=* ** ** *=».......
........»= »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» =»........
.........» ** ** ».........
........»= ** =»........
.......»=* *=».......
......»=*$ My Fear Holds Me In Place While He $*=»......
.....»=*$¤ Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set ¤$*=».....
....»=*$¤@ In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, @¤$*=»....
...»=*$¤@# It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. #@¤$*=»...
..»=*$¤@## It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run ##@¤$*=»..
...»=*$¤@# Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy #@¤$*=»...
....»=*$¤@ Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. $*=»......
.......»=* *=».......
........»= This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What =»........
.........» The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like ».........
........»= This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam =»........
.......»=* A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is *=».......
......»=*$ Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting $*=»......
.....»=*$¤ Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I ¤$*=».....
....»=*$¤@ Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into @¤$*=»....
...»=*$¤@# The Levers, Messing Them Up. #@¤$*=»...
..»=*$¤@## Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail ##@¤$*=»..
...»=*$¤@# Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The #@¤$*=»...
....»=*$¤@ Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, $*=»......
.......»=* White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And *=».......
........»= Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass =»........
.........» Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That ».........
........»= Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He =»........
.......»=* Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling *=».......
......»=*$ Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The $*=»......
.....»=*$¤ Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass ¤$*=».....
....»=*$¤@ Drop That Falls Toward The Factory @¤$*=»....
...»=*$¤@# Floor. #@¤$*=»...
..»=*$¤@## ##@¤$*=»..
...»=*$¤@# He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To #@¤$*=»...
....»=*$¤@ Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ While His Body Is Turning Into Dark $*=»......
.......»=* Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of *=».......
........»= Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. =»........
.........» The Last Of Him Rains Down. ».........
........»= =»........
.......»=* I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From *=».......
......»=*$ Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To $*=»......
.....»=*$¤ Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A ¤$*=».....
....»=*$¤@ Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows @¤$*=»....
...»=*$¤@# The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But #@¤$*=»...
..»=*$¤@## Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, ##@¤$*=»..
...»=*$¤@# Become Still. #@¤$*=»...
....»=*$¤@ @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ ** ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ ** ** $*=»......
.......»=* »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» *=».......
........»= ** ** =»........
.........» ** ».........
........»= =»........
.......»=* A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, *=».......
......»=*$ And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M $*=»......
.....»=*$¤ Back At The Factory Floor, But The ¤$*=».....
....»=*$¤@ Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, @¤$*=»....
...»=*$¤@# Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last #@¤$*=»...
..»=*$¤@## Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, ##@¤$*=»..
...»=*$¤@# Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, #@¤$*=»...
....»=*$¤@ And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. @¤$*=»....
.....»=*$¤ ¤$*=».....
......»=*$ Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over $*=»......
.......»=* The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark *=».......
........»= Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And =»........
.........» I See There'S Something Faint Inside ».........
........»= Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? =»........
.......»=* *=».......
......»=*$ I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. $*=»......
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